Magazine
Men fear HIV tests
An HIV home testing kit. According to statistics, a worrying percentage of men who should be accessing ARV drugs do not turn up in healthcare facilities for testing and treatment. Photo/ANTHONY KAMAU
Posted Monday, October 26 2009 at 00:00
“Such arrangements are risky and can lead to fatal side effects, such as damage and collapse of internal organs like the liver and kidneys,” Dr Nyamiobo observes.
The Kenya Aids Control project through various stakeholders is strategising on campaigns aimed at creating awareness on the importance of knowing HIV status and getting early treatment.
Through mobile voluntary counselling and testing services, as well as groups targeted campaigns, remarkable achievements are being realised in bringing more men on board to know their status and access ARV treatment.
Dr Nyamiobo commends Moonlight VCT services, which he says are playing a key role in offering testing and counselling services to long distance truck drivers and people who are active during the night.
Optimism on getting more people participating is high due to other innovative initiatives by players in awareness campaigns.
According to Mrs Alice Njoroge, a clinical director with Eastern Deanery Aids Relief Programme , outreach activities targeted at men are carried out both in their workplaces and in their homes. However, better results are being noted at the workplaces.
We are reaching out to people at work and those who fear going for HIV testing and ARV treatment,” she says.
In the programme, women who have been tested play a key role in bringing their men on board.
Where necessary, such arrangements of helping men access testing services are private between wives and care givers.
“The women can cajole their men to escort them to undisclosed destinations where they meet medics who counsel and test them,” Mrs Muchiri says .
The Kenya Anti-Retroviral Therapy Program estimates the number of HIV cases that would have been brought under ART programme by the year 2010 to be more than 300,000, up from the current 270,000.
The programme is also set to reduce the number of HIV related hospital admissions by 60 per cent.
The number is set to rise if only people realized the importance of knowing their HIV status and getting correct treatment.
Prior to learning about their HIV status, Njeri’s husband had a persistent cough which used to cause her lots of sleepless nights.
Her efforts to convince him to go to hospital for a check-up were in vain.
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